Enemy from the Past
by I Cant Think of Anything Else
Summary: It has been nine moons since the battle against the Dark Forest and the clans are flourishing, but what will happen when the Dark Forest is seeking revenge? The three have lost their powers and are still adjusting to life without them, how will they be able to save the clans and Starclan itself from the Dark Forest again and a new enemy that will tear the clans apart from within?


The silence of the forest was barely interrupted by the soft paw steps made by the brown fugitive as he bounded over the hard, grassless ground that offered little comfort to his tired feet. The scars across the tom's pelt rippled as he dodged tree after tree in hopes of losing his pursuers.

With luck not on his side, the brown tom found himself in the river that ran through his home. The river, more like quicksand than water, made the fugitive's head start from the predators stalking him diminish quickly as they caught up to the brown tom. Eyes wide with fear, the brown tom tried, but failed to leap away from the group of cats surrounding him, but the slimy excuse of water had him slowly trudging through it instead. Within heartbeats, the brown tom was surrounded by four cats, so escape was futile.

Narrowing his eyes, the trapped cat studied his enemies searching for any weakness or signs of escape. With no hope of an exit, the brown tom quickly leapt at the nearest cat to him, deciding to not go down without a fight. The cat that he landed on, a small white tom, was startled by the attack and for a moment, the brown tom had the upper hand as he squashed his opponent. That situation ended quicker than lightening as two of the other cats leapt at the brown tom and had the brown tom pinned down so the small white tom could escape from his grasp. Pinned down by the claws of a tabby brown she-cat and a pale gray tom with a ragged pelt, the brown fugitive knew that his time would end in a matter of minutes.

With his head lying on its side in a forced position by the tabby brown she-cat, the brown tom saw the leader of the pack flanked by his obvious deputy walk into his line of vision. Eyes filled with glee of the situation, the leader admired his warriors' handiwork as he looked over his helpless prey.

"Why hello there Clawface, quite a situation you've gotten yourself into. Don't you think?" The leader asked as he smiled at his prey's situation with a malicious glint in his eyes. His smile grew as Clawface glared at him in reply, unable to retort since his jaw was squashed against the cold, hard ground. Cocking his head in disappointment, the leader frowned at Clawface in pretend confusion and asked, "Why won't you answer? Are you stuck?" Leaning down, the leader pretended to inspect the scene and fake realization dawned in his eyes. A glimmer of amusement reached the leader's eyes as he replied to his own questions, "Why of course you can't reply, you _are _stuck."

The leader flicked his tail to his warriors, signaling for them to release Clawface enough so he could speak, but was still pinned and unable to move the rest of his body. Hissing at the leader's mockery of him, Clawface decided to add a few insults of his own in response to the questions asked of him. "I may be stuck like this, but that's nothing compared to your position Thistleclaw." Clawface retorted sharply, "After all, you were the one on the losing side of the Great Battle, weren't you?"

The amusement in Thistleclaw's eyes was gone in a flash at the retort and instantly replaced by a murderous glare. Thistleclaw's warriors stiffened at the sudden change in mood of their leader, for Thistleclaw's rage was a thing to be feared. Unlike the warriors however, Clawface was watching the whole change of mood with glee. He was glad that he had caused his tormenter some pain at least seeing that his fate was already sealed when Thistleclaw had caught him. Clawface didn't have much time left, so he was simply making the most of the last few moments of his life before his second death was to come.

Baring his teeth, Thistleclaw leaned forward so he was nose to nose and staring into Clawface's unflinching eyes. Smelling Thistleclaw's stinky breath and having his eyes glare at any cat would make them shrivel in fear, but Clawface refused to. He refused to give Thistleclaw the satisfaction of killing him in fear, so instead he stared right back at Thistleclaw, which made Thistleclaw look like he would burst with rage at Clawface's unwillingness.

The brown tabby she-cat watched the exchange between the captor and the prisoner with fearful eyes. She was always fearful of Thistleclaw, but seeing him like this made the hairs on her back rise up and her eyes widen at the thought of what the outcome of the situation would be. Thistleclaw would most certainly kill Clawface in a heartbeat, but his anger would still need a pelt to claw out. With her being the closest to Thistleclaw, she was terrified that it would be her. Still in her fearful state, the brown tabby flinched when Thistleclaw tore his murderous glare onto her and the she-cat was certain her time to die a second death had come.

But instead of killing her like she expected, Thistleclaw only snapped at her and the other pale gray tom holding Clawface down. "Move out of the way Sparrowfeather, Silverhawk." Thistleclaw ordered in a snarl of rage and without hesitation, the brown tabby and the pale gray tom bolted away from Thistleclaw and Clawface to stand near the small, white tom still bleeding from earlier.

Clawface barely had time to grasp what Thistleclaw was going to do him next before he saw the gray tom lunge at him. Clawface felt pain in his belly as it was sliced open by Thistleclaw's long claws, spilling his blood all over the forest floor. With his eyes glazing over from the pain, the last thing Clawface saw was the face of Thistleclaw and his glee-filled eyes from the satisfaction of complete revenge. "That's what happens to deserters in the Dark Forest. Good-bye forever Clawface." Thistleclaw whispered into Clawface's ear before the brown tom closed his eyes forever and his body faded forever.

Looking at the spot where Clawface had once lain, Thistleclaw thought to himself, _the last deserter of the Dark Forest has been slain. Now it's time to complete the other half of my revenge on those flea-pelted Starclan cats. They will pay for what they did to us Dark Forest cats._

Looking to his warriors, who stared at him waiting for the next move, he meowed sharply, "Come, we have to go and develop a new plan now."

"What for?" The small, white tom asked eagerly, his eyes brimming with excitement.

"For our revenge on Starclan of course Snowtuft." Thistleclaw growled at the white tom, "We have to get revenge for the humiliating defeat they gave us in the Great Battle. Wasn't that obvious?"

Having Thistleclaw glare at him, Snowtuft shrunk down to the ground and nodded weakly in fear of what Thistleclaw was going to do to him. Luckily, the whit tom was saved by the deputy, who boldly put himself between the two cats. "Let's deal with him later Thistleclaw." The deputy reasoned, "After we make a plan, we can punish him for his idiocy."

Thistleclaw nodded curtly in agreement while growling, "You're right Maggottail." Leaning down until he was face to face with Snowtuft, he snarled in the white tom's face, "But don't think this is over." And only when Snowtuft was vigorously shaking his head in agreement, did Thistleclaw turn around start padding back to the pack's camp.

With his warriors following cautiously behind at a good three fox-lengths, the pace Thistleclaw liked them to be at, and Maggottail, his deputy and the only cat smart enough that deserved to be his second-in command out of all of his warriors at his flank, Thistleclaw was in the lead on the trek back. Thinking of the success of the day being having finally killed the last of the deserters, Thistleclaw's thoughts were interrupted by Maggottail' question, "How are we going to get rid of Starclan with the clans there to help them?"

Thistleclaw smiled knowingly at Maggottail and replied, "By destroying the clans from the inside of course." He chuckled at confused look on his deputy's face before adding, "Just let me handle this Maggottail, I know where Tigerstar went wrong with the plan and I will be the one who makes the Dark Forest cats the new rulers of the forest."

Leaving behind a confused Maggottail who would walk back with the rest of the pack, Thistleclaw continued on his pace with his plan in his head. _The clans will soon fall, followed by Starclan._ Thistleclaw was thinking, _all thanks to my new ally that the clans will soon meet and grow to hate as they do to us Dark Forest cats. A new enemy will arise for the clans, one they will not survive the battle against. The battle against the past itself._


End file.
